The Next Chapter

Parts One, two,   three , four.  five.  six. and seven. and eight, and nine. TEN. and Eleven

Well of course she said yes, that Christmas was the best. They kept it a secret for a day or two, there were a few people they needed to break the news to. Of course there were scoffers, people pitched a fit, but the pair just smiled and put up with it. 

Then the princess called her family and spread the news round, and then the thought hit her, a dress needs to be found. So she called her bridesmaids, and they headed to town. They searched and they searched, till the perfect one she found. They picked shoes and picked colors, and talked over locations. His friends were all happy, and ready to join. They planned and they practiced and saved every coin. 

Then they flew across the country, to a wedding for the Prince's dad. It was a crazy experience like she'd never had. The mood was set perfect, it was sappy and sweet. That will be them soon. Boy was that neat. They held hands and took walks, and had lots of talks. They practiced their dancing...they'll need to practice again. 

They found bridesmaid dresses, and tried to block out the stresses. Lined up gals for their hair, and looked for someone to take pictures. Things were going quite smooth, with the plans and the plots, and mostly they blocked the doubts that were shot. 

The pair found a house, a cute little dwelling, every time she sees it the princess feels her heart swelling. They painted together and moved everything in, thinking this was where their whole life would begin. 

At times she felt nervous, and there were some doubts. Will I do this right, will I be his delight? He'd smile and shush her, say it was alright. 

Her friends were all happy, and offered support, they all wanted to help and be a good sport. 

Decorations and flowers, music and food, so much to plan, and so much to do. 

Hi!

Hi guys! How are ya? 

Seems like I've been terribly busy, but don't really have anything to tell you about. 

Let's see what I can drum up here....

The other day I attended a Lunch and Learn on communication in the workplace. I ended up teaching a room of old -*ehem* people from a different generation than I am- people about what Generation Z lingo even means. 

I got asked what barriers to communication were and I said age. When asked to explain, I said that the 40 something year old gal that I work with doesn't understand the terms I use daily. 

Of course then I was asked to tell some of the terms, which then led to me explaining the concept of Shipping a couple, fangirling, and the fact that everyone on planet earth is my minion.

....Speaking of minions, 

The girls at work have suddenly started calling me the M&M, which I'm told stands for The Master Minion. 

I do not disapprove of this development. 

Also developing, I have purchased a wedding dress and will be going to pick it up on Saturday. My hunt for a veil, belt and shoes is also complete. The hunt for bridesmaid dresses is in full swing and thus far has produced dismal results. I'm told that after a certain bull sale takes place on March fifth that my dearly beloved will be more available to help me get the man side of this event whipped into shape. 

We also rented a house! I am so stinking excited. Spent a week repainting everything. I still want to do something with the bathroom, but since there's really not a lot of furniture in the way in a bathroom, I'm content to let that wait till I've actually moved in. Jarod will be moving in this weekend if everything goes well (and we find a cook stove). We've been piecing together some furniture and household goods, but I'm being picky because the paint job in there is so fabulous that I want things to match. Which is why we had a war over whether or not the John Deere green and yellow dresser from his childhood will be in the bedroom. 

Despite differences in decor taste, I'm super excited about this. As soon as I get the drop cloths and painters tape off everything I will post pictures. 

Valentines Day was also our one year anniversary of dating. That just blows my mind. I cannot believe it's been a year already. I also can't believe it has only been one year. So much has happened. It's been fabulous. 

So, what did we do to mark this fabulous milestone you might ask?

Well, first I asked to go out to eat, but he wanted to move in, so I agreed. Moving into your first house on your first anniversary could be sweet. Then life stepped in and it was decided that he needed to clip the bulls that weekend to get ready for the upcoming sale. So no moving, no supper. After church we bundled up and went and clipped ornery bulls, and got them all trimmed up and pretty. We left that venture once it got dark, covered in hair, and smelling like smoke. So after showering up we burned over to subway and grabbed some sandwiches and rented a movie at the gas station. It was called True Story and if you like creepy mystery shows it is a must watch. 

I gave him a Bible Concordance, since he's been asking for one, along with a Snoopy Valentines card complete with sappy writing inside both, as well as a freakishly long poem I'm quite proud of. 

In return I got a card and itunes giftcard, which I plan to use to make our wedding playlist. 

I had to give him a hard time, because I wrote on pretty much every available surface of his gifts and the card I got was unsigned. Men. 

So, it wasn't a terribly romantic, dramatic anniversary, but it was definitely us, and I for sure enjoyed it. 

My sisters came to my rescue and got me chocolate. They really are the best. 

What about you, minions? Any fabulous developments since I've been absent? I have been silently stalking your blogs, keeping an eye on things, even if I don't comment.

My darn laptop has decided it cannot connect to the internet and hasn't worked for a few weeks, so it's been a pain in the butt to try to get any legit blogging done. I apologize. 

February Challenge

Hi guys! 

So, I have some fun news that some of you may want to join in on. 

Over at Go Teen Writers *sniffle*not a teen anymore *sniffle* they are going to be doing a challenge starting in February where you come up with a different story idea every day for the entire month of January. It's just a little something to get the creative juices flowing, make you look around at things differently, and see the story in everything. And, obviously, to hopefully come up with your next fabulous novel idea. 

The challenge is open to anyone, and there is a Amazon gift card drawing involved, and anything Amazon has got to be great, so I will be participating. 

I saw it and immediately had ideas start popping into my head, which really defeats the point, because I have to make up new ones, and its not even the correct month yet. 

I really like this challenge idea though, because so often the writing challenges I see online consist of writing so many hundreds or thousand words a day, or devoting this much time to just writing, or something along those lines, and I just don't have time for that anymore. It's a lot harder to find time to commit to writing twelve hundred words a day, especially since my creative juices have froze and it would take me three times longer than it used to. 

This one is much less stressful, but still creatively stimulating, and I'm hoping to thaw out the old creative genius and get it up and running again. You can follow the link up there to read all about it, and get registered if you would like to join me. 

If I come up with any absolutely stellar ideas I'll be sure to share them with you as the month progresses. 

I've also got a few posts in the works for the remainder of this month, so stay tuned for that. 

Until then, farewell! 

Cactus!

Hi guys!! 

So, yes, I've been gone awhile. I do have an excuse to make up for four of the days I was gone though. 

I flew to Arizona.

Yes. 

Me, who watched six seasons of LOST and swore I would never fly, got in a plane and went across the country to Arizona.

So, obviously, this post is to tell you guys all about whether or not I survived.

The whole point of the trip was to go to Jarod's dad's wedding. So on Thursday morning we took off for the airport three hours away. The whole idea of security terrified me, and I've never packed so little in my life. I was just certain I'd end up over the weight limit, or throw something in that would get me put in jail. You know, fingernail clippers are so heinous.

Anyway, it turned out to not be that big of a deal. Threw my shoes and purse in a box and let it roll down the belt, and I didn't even have to go through the metal detector. Not sure why. Must be my extreme look of innocence.

Anyway, we were one of the last ones to board the plane and when we got in I was instantly terrified that I wouldn't be able to sit with Jarod, but an awesome lady traded spots with me so I could sit by him. Good thing too, because I needed my hand held most of the way and I don't think the wife across from me would have liked me clinging to her hubby.

Take off freaked me out. Like, Jarod's driving scares me. Flooring a plane right off the ground was scary. I didn't get nauseous, but the pressure really messed me up. I felt like I had a stuffy nose, and about twenty minutes into the flighty I lost hearing. I had been chewing gum, and my ears were popping, but apparently not good enough, because I couldn't hear anything, and my broken ear drum hurt like crazy. It took Jarod till we got to Arizona to notice that the blank look I kept giving him every time he opened his mouth meant that I didn't have any clue what he was saying. Then he told me to plug my nose and blow. Talk about freaky when you can suddenly hear an airplane engine.

Besides that the flight was alright.  I had an isle seat, so I couldn't see the wings shaking every time we hit turbulence.

I did not like landing. Too much dropping, way too fast, and reversing the engines about snapped my neck.

Had no problem finding my bags, and pretty much stayed glued to Jarod the whole way out.

There was a gentleman named Abraham getting us our rental car and he was fascinated by the cowboy gear Jarod wearing. Yes sir, he does dress like that every day.

We landed in Phoenix, and getting out on a six lane one way interstate was interesting. Jarod wasn't old enough to drive the car, so his aunt had to. It was scary, but she did good and we survived the trip to Tucson.

Let me just state for the record, that there ain't jack to see in Arizona. Like it's cool for a few minutes, but once you've seen a mountain and a cactus, there is nothing else new. They all look the same. And that is all there is. Acres of cactus and scrub brush. And instead of landscaping, the cities are just built around the clumps of cactus. So much wasted space. It's no wonder those cities are huge.

We stopped at a burger joint that Jarod swears was fantastic but....

Did you know men in Arizona wear capris with leggings underneath them? True fact. And flannel pajama pants are totally acceptable to wear with leather jackets.

We missed the turn to go to his dad's house, so Jarod said to just go straight. A few miles later he said he had no idea where we were, he was just assuming we could go straight. Technically, yes, we were physically able to go straight. Straight to nowhere. Turned around and eventually made it there.

Nice little brown houses that look identical with matching cactus landscapes in the front yard.

Jarod immediately latched onto his dog Jake, and the dog must have remembered him because he stayed in his lap for four days.

First night I woke up at four. Which was five my normal time. Couldn't sleep, so I texted Jarod out in the camper in the back yard. He's not a morning person. He was not thrilled.

Friday we walked around the yard and looked at all the different cactus'. The pool was full, but it was only fifty degrees and not very appealing. In the afternoon we headed off to the wedding. Me and Jarod were banned from any preparations which suited us, so we roamed around the golf resort and looked at the palm trees and cactus'. The mountains go all the way around Tucson, but the cactus and buildings and trees blocked most of my pictures.

For some reason being at a wedding made us both sentimental mushy fluff balls. It was great.

The wedding was nice, and the bride had a stargazer come so me and Jare spent a good part of the evening looking at planets with the certified nerd running the telescope. There were family pictures, and we ate, and then they had a dance. The bride finally convinced Jarod to dance with me, because I couldn't get him to stop talking about pickups with his old neighbors. She taught me to two step, and his dad tried to teach him. Must not have worked because when we danced together it was ridiculous but lots of fun. Then we turned to zombies and tried to stay awake and finally dad told his aunt to take us home.

Saturday Jarod's grandpa drove up from the border town Rio Rico and we ate at Ihop. The dude was hilarious, and we had tons of fun. Dinner turned into a three hour gab fest. I ate all my food without Jarod stealing any. It was a successful venture.

We were supposed to drop off a rental movie on the way back, but Jarod forgot till we got home and he insisted he couldn't go with us, but that we could. His exact words were "Go down and take that little bumpy road. It's called Sumpter, or summer, sumner..something, and it goes by that school you know, and then get into the safeway." And he left.

Well we missed the Sumter road and made a u turn in the cactus. There was no school. Turns out Safeway is a store. And the movie goes in  a kiosk inside. Me and Rosie took selfies in case we got lost and died, they would be able to identify us and know we looked fab till the end. On the way home we pulled over in the cactus and took pictures of us and the mountains.

Once we had been home for ten minutes I texted the master navigator who was working on a little road ranger out back and asked him where the movie went. He called rather freaked out wondering where I was. He hung up when I said the living room.

Me and Jarod watched Minions in the evening and talked like little yellow pills for a good while.

We ate way too much and moved way too little.

There is nothing to do there. Look at cactus'. Watch Green Bay Packers lose the game. Try not to get too happy because the future father in law was devastated about it. *victory dance*

Got up early Sunday morning and packed all the gear outside and headed back to Phoenix. I had to go through the metal detector that time, and that scared the tar out of me. The lady was like "relax. Honey relax. PUT YOUR ARMS DOWN."

I got a window seat this time, and Jarod and Rosie got to sit with me. So I took pictures of all the states. Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and home sweet home. Kansas was entirely under clouds though and it looked like we were over Antarctica. Jarod was practically in my lap looking out the window. We were both like excited little kids pointing at stuff and pestering his aunt to look too.

I was slightly less freaked out about the return flight, but I still hate every time the plane turns. It feels like we're gonna roll over and plummet to my death. The scenery is great till you imagine smacking into it.

You know, you think roads are fairly logical, and relatively square in where they go. They're not. They just go everywhere and criss-cross and they make absolutely no sense when you actually see where they are.

I thought fifties in Arizona was chilly, but it was two degrees when I got home so I guess not. No coat of course. So we froze out for several miles, then warmed up and got ice cream. Because that is how we roll.

I kind of wanted to hammer down for home, but we ended up stopping to look at some trucks that were for sale. We didn't want to buy them guys, we just wanted to look at them and admire their beauty. That's what I was told anyway.

So that concludes the story of the trip. I did have a lot of fun, even though I never want to see another cactus again. I wouldn't ever want to live there, but it was definitely worth the trip to go see.

Farewell!

Things I've learned and Will Learn

Hello everyone! 

I understand I'm about seven days late on this, but the first part of the year was such a whirlwind that this is the best I can do. But, I do want to acknowledge that it is a new year. I'm fairly certain that I have signed every single check I've written thus far with a 2015 instead of '16. I'm also fairly certain they will go through just fine anyway. I'm going to say that this has a deep meaning involving my connection to the past year and my unwillingness to let it go, just to give things a flare for the dramatic.

All silliness aside, 2015 was an amazing year. It was amazing in so many good and bad ways, and I feel like I have learned so much in the span of twelve months. 2015 really brought home being an adult for me. 

I left my single years behind and started dating, only to turn around and leave my dating years behind to be engaged. All in one year. 

I realized that I can function just fine out in the world, and getting up at six am really isn't so bad.

I started off my year fresh out of college and really not sure what to do. I thought I wanted to be a counselor at summer camp. In all honesty, it was mostly out of a desire to be around the christian guys who would come to help out. A job seemed like it was probably in order, but that thought terrified me to no end. I didn't know how to do anything. I'd never had a job before. Would I even be able to make it? With some not so gentle encouragement my parents convinced me to start sending out resumes. I ended up sending one to the camp, and a bunch of other places. My parents told me to pray about it, and if God wanted me at that camp, I wouldn't get one of the full time jobs. It was scary, and overwhelming, and I didn't handle it like I should have all the time. There were lots of tears, and knots in my stomach, and moodiness. 

But I did what they said. I did pray about it. And I got a call for an interview. 

The rest is history. I got the job. Is it my dream job with a phenomenal work environment at all times? 

No. It's not. 

But is it a great learning opportunity? Absolutely. It's boosted my confidence massively. I've discovered that I can run an office on my own. That I can work with customers, and co-workers, and work off a schedule. Not to mention make glasses. That's pretty cool.

Alongside the insanity of diving into the working world, I had a totally different life going on. The one where I was nineteen and had never had a boyfriend. There just weren't any christian guys in my area. I knew a few through homeschool group, but they were younger than me, and lived far away. It seemed like there was no one available to me. My mom is a big fan of Michael and Debbie Pearl, so she was all game for going to other churches and stalking *ehem* I mean, seeing what was available, since that's what the Pearl family has had success with. I was all for giving it a try, though the idea of having to go to Timbucktoo to find a guy, and then trying to maintain a long distance relationship didn't thrill me. I was desperate. I'd try anything. But its kind of hard to take off on Sundays to visit other churches when four of the five people in your family are Sunday school teachers...obligations.

I know I've told you about me and Jarod through The Story, but in reality, there was so much more at work spiritually than what I put into those posts. I'd liked Jarod for five years. Ever since he moved here from Arizona. And he talked to my dad every Sunday, but never to me. I can count on one hand the times he actually spoke to me directly before we started dating. And I can count the exact number of words on two hands. But I liked him. I liked him a lot. And I was desperate to try and get his attention. I'd fix my hair, makeup, wear a nice dress- and he wouldn't come to church. And I'd literally get sick. Then the next week I would wear something like jeans, and bam, he'd show up. And not look at me. And I'd be sick. It got ridiculous.
Now I'd been praying about him for years, but in all the wrong way. I was praying that he would notice me and we'd become best friends and fall madly in love and live happily ever after, the end, my way, how I wanted it. One day I was convicted during a sermon that God gives me what I need, and if I don't have it, then I don't need it. I went home and told God that I understood. And I quit pining. Not to say I didn't still have a crush and hope he might notice I existed on the same planet as him, but it didn't consume me anymore. I was actually able to focus in church like I was supposed to.

A few weeks later he called and asked for a date.

I suppose the biggest thing I've learned this year is that I don't have any control over anything.

And that I need to take everything to the one who is in control of it all.

I've struggled and failed miserably. There have been tests and trials where I have just blew a gasket, and freaked out, and thought the world was coming to an end, and I acted like a little brat for several days. And then it would dawn on me, and I'd remember to pray about it. Trust.
My temper tantrums aren't going to rearrange the stars. But God can. He can move in the heart of anyone, or in any situation and make it work out.

The next big thing that required me to give up control was when Jarod and I broke up. It was massive. I had been so happy that he liked me back, and that we had a chance to see where it would go. It wasn't that I already had the wedding planned out, or anything crazy like that, it was just that I was happy. So happy. God had given me what I wanted. And then it seemed like he was taking it away. And I didn't think it would ever come back, because me and Jarod were just living two very different lives, and I didn't want to go against what I knew God wanted, by trying to keep what I wanted. I knew that kind of Jarod wouldn't make me happy in life. I wrestled with it. And it was hard. I can honestly say that was the worst time of my life. And it took several days, but I finally decided that what I had learned before was still true.
If I didn't have it, I didn't need it.
Making the decision to keep communication going between us was a scary one. I wanted so badly to listen to the promises he was making, but I knew that words are empty if there isn't a change in lifestyle. So I let him call me, and when he wanted to meet on lunch breaks I agreed. And it was a battle to walk the tight rope of being forgiving and giving second chances, and being stupid and taking everything I was fed because it fit the fantasy I had imagined.

It has been amazing to watch Jarod grow in his faith this year. Nothing short of a miracle honestly.

This year has also taught me to trust. For the first several months we were dating again I lived in fear that all the changes he had made were just to make me happy, and if we ever were to get married he would feel safe that he had me and go back to his old ways. I was petrified when I didn't hear from him on Saturday nights, and letting him go off to college a hundred miles away was nerve wracking.
What if he was lying to me? What if I was falling for it?
Time has shown me that he is genuine. I'm confident that if something were to happen that we were no longer together, he would keep following God, hardcore. But before I could get to that point I had to let go and trust Jarod, but mostly God. That he knew what was going on when I wasn't there, and if I would trust him, he wouldn't let me get into anything that would hurt me. 

I learned to let go this year. That my brute force and will power wont make things go how I want. I gave Jarod over to God when it seemed like his faith wasn't important. I told God back then that I loved Jarod already, but I loved God more, and that I didn't want anything that God didn't want for me. And in the next week there was a dramatic change in both of us, and my faith grew. There have been times where I've had to keep giving  Jarod to God. When struggles come I want to buckle down and hang on tight and force things to work. I've had to learn to let go and let God move. 

I've had to do the same thing with my job. Instead of fretting myself sick about how I was going to make it through the co-worker parties, and the conferences, and the environment that wants to destroy my faith, I've tried to take it to God instead, and my faith has grown, and I've survived, and thrived. 

I've learned that people are just people, and they're going to act like people. Flawed, and cruel, and unjust. I've come to realize that I'm no different, and I can't get all worked up when people are like that to me. Do I like the lies and attacks they aim at me? No. And I don't have to. But I can realize that they are just words and they don't have to dictate my life. Just because someone tells a lie about me I don't need to blow up and get in their face and ruin my testimony.  They're lie might not be true, but their point has been proven if I react that way. As hard as it is, I just need to pray and ask the Lord to deal with those people. To convict them of the wrong and soften their hearts, and to help me to turn the other cheek and love those people instead of hating them. 

I've also learned that my faith has to be my own. For awhile I was really busy reading the Bible, and praying and stuff, but it wasn't for me and God's relationship. It was for Jarod's. I talked him into reading the Bible with me, which is a good thing, but I got more focused on him and what he needed to learn than what God was trying to teach me. While Jarod was getting better and growing, I was getting worse. I was trying to live off his food. And because he was flourishing, he was using it all up, and there was nothing left for me, and I began to shrivel. I had to focus on my relationship to the Lord. Not Jarod's relationship to him. My salvation is between me and God. There is no middle man. 

It's been a great year. It's been a hard year. There have definitely been ups and downs. But I wouldn't change it. Even all the bad stuff that happened, that hurt, that scared me, I wouldn't make it any different. Because it helped. I learned and grew and changed, and so did the people around me.
God worked all things out for good. 

And now as I move forward into the next year, and brave the adventure of becoming a wife, I want to keep learning, and not forget what God has taught me so far. I want to not get so caught up in the wedding that I forget to invest in the marriage. I want to be kind to the people around me who are loving and supporting me, and not let my frustrations shoot them down. I want to work on my temper, and not let small things annoy me so easily. I want to keep growing, and keep learning.
The world God created is always changing, and so are people. God, who knows everything, sees it all and knows exactly what I need to learn in each situation. I want an attitude that is pliable and able to be taught. I don't want to get caught in a rut that says I have arrived. I've got it now.
There's always something. 

It's A Love Story

Parts One, two,   three , four.  five.  six. and seven. and eight, and nine. TEN.

Christmas time came round and joy did abound. There were secrets, and wrapping, and laughs all through it all.

Then Christmas day came and the prince came around. The princess' grandma, and family all gathered round. They ate a big dinner. And seconds and thirds. There was talk of the Wii and fun things that they'd learned. They planned for what movies they would watch first. But first they'd get presents, all stacked up by the shelf.

There was a small tree...a Charlie brown tree. With no Grinch ornaments hanging off it, grinning with glee. But it did the job, standing guard over the boxes. The sisters had them all shook and examined, as sneaky as foxes.

The prince opened the ones that they'd got for him, and then handed out what he'd bought with a grin. The sisters loved their gifts, so did the whole clan. He smiled at the princess; that had been their plan. Then he handed her a large box all wrapped up in green, she tore it open, they all leaned in to see. Inside was another box and giggles echoed round. Opening that box a blue t-shirt she found. He'd bought it for her the Christmas before, he'd been too scared to give it to her back then, but not anymore.

Then out of the shirt tumbled a small wooden box. The princess picked it up, and then her heart stopped. She gave a little squeal and it fell in her lap.

The prince scooped it up and dropped down on one knee, saying "Madeline Jean Morrow will you marry me?"

 

 

A Christmas Story

Hi guys! I wanted to get this post in before Christmas was fully upon us, but that didn't work. In case any of you wonder, the character Zacher in this story is the same as the one in the King of Thieves Easter story I wrote last year. I just love the little guy. I had to bring him back again.

Zacher dashed out of the house, tugging his coat into place. "Sorry. I couldn't get away."

Amol rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Never mind. Let's get a move on."

Zacher fell into step beside his friend and quietly waited for his irritation to abate. 

The streets of Jerusalem were empty as they wove their way through the houses and alleys. 

"Where is everyone today?" Zacher ventured after awhile. 

Amol waved a hand toward the west. "All listening to that teacher." 

Zacher swung his gaze in the direction his friend had indicated. Away across several streets he could see the edge of a crowd, all crowded in close together. He could hear a soft murmur of voices, but not nearly as loud as he would have expected from such a large group of people. He couldn't glimpse who had their attention captured, and the mob disappeared behind the houses as he kept walking. 

"What teacher?" He said when it was all completely out of sight. 

Amol shrugged and quickened his stride. Zacher matched it, and kept his gaze fixed on him, not at all dissuaded by Amol's aversion to questions. "That Jesus fellow everyone's been talking about."

Zacher tipped his head, a frown tugging at his mouth. "Jesus...Where have I heard that name before? Where's he from?"

"I just said everyone is talking about him. How should I know where you heard it?" Amol snapped. 

Zacher shook his head. "No, I've heard it somewhere else. I haven't even heard about any teachers."

"You live with your head in the sand."

Zacher raised a shoulder. "I suppose I do. I just try to keep things fair between us."

Amol snorted and pushed him away. Zacher chuckled and kept his distance. "Where did you say he is from?"

"Nazareth." Amol sighed. 

Zacher shook his head. "I know I've heard of him before. When I was young. How long has he been teaching?"

"I'm a thief, not an expert on rabbis. I don't know. Maybe two years now."

Zacher cast a glance back toward where the crowd had been. "Lets go over there. I want to see him."

"I thought we were going to steal things." Amol hissed as he turned onto a different street. 

"We can see what we can find there. That many people, their bound to set things down. Sounds like they're captivated. No one will notice." Zacher called over his shoulder, not waiting to see if Amol would follow. Muttered curses and footsteps told him he was.  

Zacher wove through the buildings to the fringe of where the crowd was gathered. People sat and stood wherever there was room, bags and bundles scattered around as they listened. Zacher cast a knowing look at Amol, who just scowled and lost himself in the crowd. Zacher slid in between the onlookers, being careful not to bump anyone and draw attention to himself. He glanced around for any easy prey and moved deeper into the mass. 

Toward the middle he could finally see the man who had everyone so captivated. He paused to study him a moment and frowned. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him to look at him. He dressed the same as the men around him. His features were soft and caring, and there was an urgency in his voice as he spoke, like he was imparting a great gift. The people seemed to think they were receiving one. Zacher could hear soft sounds of aw and every once in a while someone would whisper excitedly at something he had said. Zacher tilted his head to catch Jesus' words. Loving neighbors, and feeding the hungry. 

A snicker escaped him and he glanced at the man next to him, then at the people around before slowly moving his hand toward his coin purse. Luckily for him someone wanted to listen to such teaching, otherwise he would never be able to get this close. A sudden silence made him freeze and he glanced up to see Jesus' gaze directed at him. His breath caught in his throat and he snatched his hand back, straightening and trying to look like a casual listener. The teacher's gaze never wavered and Zacher wanted nothing more than to shrink down into the dust and disappear. 

As calmly as he could he turned and started weaving his way out to the open. He didn't see Amol anywhere, and wasn't about to wait for him. His breath rattled in his chest and sweat tickled the back of his neck. When he was out of sight he broke into a run and didn't stop until he made it back to his home. 

He leaned against the door post, and waited for his chest to stop heaving then picked his way through the house and out to the back. His father and younger brother sat working on tents and looked up as he approached. 

"You're back soon." His father offered. 

Zacher nodded, trying to find his voice. "I was with Amol. We saw the teacher all the people want to see." He sat and picked up a corner of the tent and absently started to work. "His name is Jesus. Of  Nazareth. I told Amol I've heard of him before." He glanced at his father to see if there was any clue to the nagging memory in the back of his head.

His father's brow furrowed deeply. "He is here in the city?"

"Yes." Zacher nodded. "He was teaching near where we were."

A smile tugged at his father's lips. "I told you the story. Don't you remember?"

Zacher shook his head, casting in his mind for what story he might mean. "No, I don't."

His father set his work aside and brushed himself off. "Then I had better tell it again."

His brother scooted in closer to his father and Zacher couldn't help but do the same. 

"It was quite some time ago." His father began. "Before either of you were born. Upwards of thirty years now, I think. I was a young man, about your age Zacher." 

Zacher tilted his head, trying to remember the story. 

"At the time I was living near Bethlehem. I was a shepherd, and it was the time of year to be out in the fields with the sheep."

"You were a shepherd?" Zacher's brother quizzed. 

Zacher cast him a hushing look and turned to his father to continue.

"Yes." His father nodded to his brother before continuing. "A tax had been issued and there were many people traveling. It was late. The sheep were quiet and my companions and I were resting, when all of the sudden the whole sky lit up like daylight." He leaned forward and his hands spread. "Above us was...well, a man, but not. It was an angel."

"You saw an angel?" His brother cut in. "What was he like?"

"Beautiful," His father said slowly. "Like nothing I've ever seen before. But terrifying. I thought we were all going to die. But he told us not to be afraid. That he had good news. He told us that just a little distance off in Bethlehem that the savior had been born. God's promised deliverer, come to save us." He shook his head and Zacher could see a distant look in his father's eye and he wished he could see what he was remembering right then. 

"I could hardly believe it. I had heard about the promised savior all my life. I believed it but...it always seemed distant. Like it wouldn't happen in my lifetime. But here it was, right in front of me. The angel told us we would find him wrapped up in a manger. That would be our sign." His face lit up suddenly. "And all at once the whole sky was full of angels. Everywhere, too many to count. And they were all singing. It was the most magnificent sound I've ever heard. Powerful and strong, but so full of adoration. Then they were gone as quickly as they had come."

"What did you do?" Zacher asked when his father paused.

"We hurried as fast as we could to see for ourselves what the angel had told us."

"And?" Zacher urged. 

"We saw Jesus." His father said slowly, reverently. "A star had moved over the stable where he was. Bigger than I've ever seen. His mother was there with him, along with her husband. She was just a young thing, I remember. Mary was her name. And her husband was watching over her so carefully. It was just like the angel said. There was a tiny little baby all cuddled in the manger. Sleeping just a peacefully as could be."

He shook his head, rubbing a hand across his cheek. "I can't believe I forgot...I didn't forget really. It's just been so long ago, I don't think about it often anymore."

"Well why would you? Nothing has happened since then." Zacher shrugged. 

 "But it was real." His father said firmly, eyes roaming between his sons. "He opened his eyes when we got there, and I just new. The angel had told the truth. This was the savior. And someday he will save us."